


The System Only Dreams in Total Darkness

by jattendrai



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Established Relationship, M/M, Post-Canon, Sleeping Together
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-27
Updated: 2020-01-27
Packaged: 2021-02-27 07:28:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,716
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22433404
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jattendrai/pseuds/jattendrai
Summary: He laid a hand out against Mettaton’s stomach, to test the waters, and felt the acrylic shape of his mechanical heart. He was warm, and it was funny, because in everything he’s ever read robots were always described as cold to the touch.
Relationships: Mettaton/Papyrus (Undertale)
Comments: 5
Kudos: 70





	The System Only Dreams in Total Darkness

**Author's Note:**

> funfact during the starting stages of the 2009 flu pandemic when it wasn't a pandemic I caught the strain and was vehemently ill for 5 days, I did nothing but lie on my mother's couch and did not pass a single bowel movement and barely ate because any movement agonized my muscles. I simply just came in and out of existence, taking small sips of sprite, and my mom put on the entire collection of E.R. she got from the library so in my small increments of consciousness I would catch 5-10 minute bits of E.R, which is a show about the hospital ironically, and essentially all my memories at practically near death was of the show E.R. Five days later I made a full recovery without a single ounce of medicine or a doctors visit and then the pandemic was announced and I was just like :0 cause I was like 9

Do you know that old book called ‘Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep’, that was made into a movie that was pretty alright and got renamed to something cooler for marketing purposes? And how some people take that question seriously and try to give it an answer, or at least spin it into their own deeply thought-provoking version? Well, the answer is that yeah, robots do dream, and they’re solid as a block of ice when they sleep.

It made sense in theory; Mettaton inhabited the robot body as a non-corporeal being, and the body needed charging for it's batteries. Machines don’t stay on and continue their job when they’re charging or that would defeat the purpose entirely --- and Mettaton’s energy supply went to the maintenance of well, being able to move. Of being able to light up and transform, and be the performer he was meant to be, so of course he had to shut down at some point and recharge. But that wasn’t the issue! The issue is that static on the bed a good foot away from his boyfriend, that’s the problem!

He laid lax in bed, nothing like his pedantic, over-the-top self when awake: arms to his sides lain without stress to his elbows or wrists, palms upward, fingers gently curling in that faux-human instinct of lax muscles. He slept perfectly still, shut down and unmoving; the only signal that he was even alive was the low rumble inside his body like that of a heater kicking on somewhere in a house.

It was hard to adjust to for Papyrus, for a bit. He quite liked being held in bed! It was one of the things he was a bit excited for in the relationship! But when Mettaton slept he was entirely gone, and his body went limp like a string puppet being set down. He could not hold, could not move, could not reciprocate affection in his sleep. He disappeared into himself, leaving nothing but the glow of his heartpiece to illuminate the room.

It was very much appreciated, as Papyrus did not like sleeping in the dark!

By the end of the day he was always at some level of low battery, groggy and sluggish in his movements. After a month of dating he had brought his spare setup over and left it by Papyrus’ bed for the few days he’d stay over, or if he exerted his energy before he could back it home. It was a small box that needed to be plugged into the wall, and had a mass of wires piled around it, and it hummed whenever it was turned on. Papyrus had even gone as far as to move his bed over to the nearest wall socket so that it could reach ( he needed a nice rearranging around here anyway.)

Mettaton needed help with the wires, being laid out and plugged in. He’d rest on Papyrus’ bed and show him which wires go where; combing the hair away to reveal his slender neck, pulling down the fabric to show him where the plugins where. Something about it, and how close he was to his boyfriend and that he would place one hand on Mettaton’s shoulder as he hooked the cords up with the other, and Mettaton would touch the arm touching him and lean gently against it and hum, it made Papyrus feel very giddy and in love.

He'd stay awake for a minute or two as the system prepares itself to idle, and slowly could you see him drift, every strung tight limb relaxing into the bed. He’d lay down, and would tug Papyrus to do the same, and he would oblige and lay beside him and sometimes even talk to him as he drifted because Mettaton said once before that hearing his voice as he fell asleep was so sweet.

His eyes would get this wonderful look in them, too; something foggy and far off, but less mechanical and more organic. Something so close to human, but still him. It was one of the smaller things that really clued one in on what was beneath all those wires --- something truly alive, and not just programming and lines of execution statements. He was more monster than machine, and he knew it!

And sometimes they wouldn’t talk, but Mettaton would reach out and hold a boney hand in his for a moment, with such a weak grip, and murmur something like a goodnight or an I love you before returning position and closing his eyes. It was those few moments, barely even a minute, where he was caught between, somewhere gentle, softer than he was even in private.

Usually he’d fall asleep soon after, but tonight Papyrus was gripped with the smallest need to be closer.They had laid together closely many times when they were awake, so he wasn’t overstepping any boundaries! And he understood why Mettaton slept the way he did, because he’s all jelly now and could roll at any moment!

But still, Papyrus had found himself rolled over and staring at his boyfriend, illuminated so nicely by the sodium yellow light of his soul. 

Carefully, after some hesitation, he moved to lay a hand out against Mettaton’s stomach, to test the waters, and felt the acrylic shape of his mechanical heart tap lightly against his bones. He was warm, and it was funny, because in everything he’s ever read robots were always described as cold to the touch.

A little braver now, he moved closer to rest his head against the place between the collarbone and shoulder, a bit softer than metal and covered in a stretch of fabric. His head still lightly  _ tonked _ against it though, bone-meeting-metal. It was nice, and still warm, and brought their bodies closer. With the shift of weight caused by his movement, Mettaton’s head gently rolled to the side that dipped, his cheek now pressed against Papyrus’s head, but he slept on. 

His face was made out of something else, something like soft rubber that could move and even warm up and flush ( all due to Alphys’ expert craftsmanship!), and Papyrus would always think about how when they were talking Mettaton would sometimes grab his hand and bring it to his face, to his lips, to hum into it something sweet while they patted on in the conversation, and how that affection would always embarasses him greatly! Because he wasn’t used to having his hand held before! Or being kissed! Or having someone hum against his body and have the small vibrations move through his bones --- Mettaton gave him a lot of experiences he never thought he’d have is all, and they were all constantly in his head because they made him feel something he never felt before, and he knew it was love, but it was very strange to feel it! 

Alphys always liked those goofy comics that had a big point in love, and the characters were always very over-the-top it seemed, blushing wildly and hiding their faces and running away. Undyne really liked that kind of stuff too, but Papyrus could just never get into it --- and now that he acted exactly like that, he didn’t like it even more! His friends would poke and lovingly mock him for how easy he was made to flush by his boyfriend, or how Mettaton would say something very sweet or piquant to him in public and he’d have to cover his face with his gloved hands, or how he’d giddily try to leave Mettaton’s embrace out of embarrassment only to be roped back in by his hands over and over again. Every time he tried to stay stoique and professional, he’d always be foiled by love !! Embarrassing, overwhelming love and he loved it, but it was still embarrassing!!

But…. all of that sort of, just, washed away at night, right now, alone. In public the act was so over-the-top and goofy that he felt like he was playing a part, but behind walls they became something calmer, and Papyrus thought on this as he gently moved his arm around the one closest to his and interlocked their fingers --- of course he didn’t hold back, he was asleep! But it was nice. They didn’t hold hands that much publicly.

Slowly did Papyrus grow tired now that he was close to his boyfriend. The soft yellow light, the hum of his inner core, the warmth and comfort of the blankets; they all blended together until Papyrus finally managed to relax and dream.

Unsurprisingly, the one to fall asleep first had woken up first.

When Mettaton’s battery was done charging, the system automatically shut off so as to not wear down the battery, and when that happened he would be booted back into consciousness, albeit rather abruptly (he asked Alphys to try and fix that, but so far she couldn’t tell what was causing it, so he dealt with it.) There, he’d have to re-adjust to his own body, remember how to move his fingers and bend his arms, Depending on how well-needed the sleep was, this would be very quick, or very, very slow.

One arm managed to snap back rather quickly, and he used it to comb his hair out of his face and rub his eyes, attempting to get them to adjust and refocus themselves. His other arm, however, felt like deadweight --- in fact, his whole right side felt heavy, and for a moment he wondered why he couldn’t re-adjust there.

That was before he realized that he  _ could _ , in fact, move that side. Papyrus was just laid against him and pinning that side of him down.

Through the moment of confusion he managed to laugh, a soft chuckle tinted with a hoarseness to each breath. He moved his hand down to gently brush against his boyfriend’s jaw, and decided that maybe a few more minutes of doing nothing would be fine. He liked the weight, the way Papyrus clung to his waist, how gently he was nudged in the crook of Mettaton’s neck. If either of them had a heartbeat he was sure he would’ve felt his against his own, and the imaginary scenario was enough to make him chuckle again, as he drifted back off into his own sleep, no wires needed.


End file.
